Sewing-machine attachment



APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, I917- Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BAYNARD, 0F BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BEGKWI'I'EBOX TOE COMPANY, 0]? DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATIDN OF MAINE.

SEWING-MACHINE ATTACH ENT. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 12, 1917. Serial No. 180,091.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BAYNARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Braintree, in the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inSewing-Machine Attachments, of which the following is a specification. I

"In machine-stitching certain materials, especially when the machine. isrunning at high speed, the friction of the needle against such materialgenerates heat to such an extent as to impair the efliciency of themachine, and this is particularly true when the material is dense orcompact, or contains substances which impede the penetration and passageof the needle. ample, in stitching toe boxes in the manufacture ofshoes, which boxes consist of felt saturated with a. bituminous,asphaltic or resinous substance for imparting stiffness thereto, theneedle soon becomes heated to such an extent that it is desirable ornecessary to stop the machine to permit the needle to cool. Moreover,when the material being stitched contains foreign substances, such forexample as those mentioned, there is likelihood of the needle. becomingcoated or incrusted therewith, which adds to the frictional resistanceto the passage of the needle through the work.

The present invention has for its object to provide an attachment orappliance which may be employed for cooling the needle, and, if desired,for lubricating the needle and the thread. It consists of a reservoirfor containing the cooling orlubricating medium, which is in liquidform, and means by which such medium is supplied to the needle.

On the accompanying drawing,-

Figure 1 illustrates a sewing mechine equipped with an attachment whichconstitutes one embodiment of my invention.

.Fig. 2 represents the attachment in plan view, the presser-foot and thepresser-bar being shown in section.

Fig. 3 illustrates the attachment in side elevation.

Fig. 4 represents on a larger scale a front elevation, partially insectlon, of sald attachinent.

Fig. 5 is a like View, some parts being broken away, and showing thevalve (to be described) in closed position.

I have selected for the purpose of ex- For explaining one wayin which anembodiment 'of- .the invention may be used, a Union trated as attachedto and supported by the presser-bar guide 15, and to it is imparted thevertical reciprocation of such guide, but generally speaking, it issupported by the presser-foot mechanism.

The particular attachment, which is illustrated and which will now bedescribed in detail, consists of a wick placed within a holder soarranged that the operative end of the needle will pass through it, areservoir for containing a supply of the cooling or lubricating medium,a valve for controlling the delivery of such medium to the wick, andmeans for operating the valve.

The reservoir consists of a cylinder 19 of which the lower end isclosed, and which is placed upon a flat plate 20 and secured thereto bya screw 21 formed on the end of the cylinder and projecting through anaperture insaid plate, and a nut 22. The plate is secured upon ashouldered post 23 Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

by a nut 24 on the threaded end thereof, and

of the reservoir is closed by a removable.

cap or cover 27, the marginal flange of which 'has angular slots 28 toreceive pins 29 pro- The jecting radially from the reservoir.

any other suitable means.

At one side of the reservoir is the valvecasing which consists of a tube30 extending cap may be secured removably in place by vertically fromthe upper end of the reser- I voir to a point below its lower end, thelower extremity of the tube being tapering to provide a minute outletport 31 and a conical valve seat 32. A port or duct 33 leads from theinterior of the reservoir to the valve casing. The valve consists of aplunger 34, the lower end of which is tapered to fit the valve seat asbest shown in Fig. 4. The upper extremity of the plunger has a lug orear 35, secured thereon, from which a spring 36 extends to a fixed pin37 to hold the valve normally seated. The valve is lifted intermittentlyby the following parts. Pivoted between its ends upon a pivot 39 on thesupporting member 25 there is a lever 38, which has one end bentupwardly to lie under a fixed stop or projection such as the guide 17.The other end of the lever is pivoted to the lower end of a rod 40having at its upper end a lug or ear 41 encircling the plunger 34 andengaging a nut 42 thereon. When the presser-bar rises, the end of thelever engages the fixed stop and is tilted about its axis to lift thevalve from its seat through the connections just described and permit adrop of the lubricant to emerge from the valve port 31.

The wick holder consists of a tube 43 which is flattened and closed atits outer end 44. Its other end is closed by a screw plug 145. Withinthe holder is placed a wick consisting preferably of a body of sponge orequivalent absorbent 45 inwrapped or incased in muslin, cheesecloth, orother suitable material 46. A curved funnel 47, having a flaring mouth48, is formed on the wick holder and is normally located below the valveto receive the drops of lubricant and conduct them to the interior ofthe Wick holder. The rear end of the wick holder is formed with ears 49which embrace a comlemental lug 50 formed on a block 51 ad- ]ustablysecured by a horizontal screw 52 to the head of a bolt 53 passed throughthe member 25 and clamped frictionally thereon by a nut 54. A leafspring 55 secured to the under side of the wick holder bears against theblock-51 and holds the wick holder yieldingly in position with itsflattened e'nd above the presser-foot 13 and in the path of the needle.The said flattened end has a through aperture 56 for the needle, andsuch additional apertures, or vents, as may be needed. The free end ofthe wick holder may be swung laterally out of the needle path, the bolt53 being rotatable in its bearing. A spring latch 156 secured on theside of the member 25 is arranged to engage a vertical notch 57 (seedotted lines in Fig. 2) in the head of bolt 53, normally to hold saidwick holder in its operative position.

From the foregoing description of the several parts, the operation ofthe attachment will now be fully understood without further explanation,it being remembered that, during the operation of the machine, the'valveis lifted and depressed once for each complete reciprocation of thepresserfoot. The valve, however, may be automatically operated in otherways, and the wick holder and reservoir may be otherwise mounted, thoughI prefer that the wick holder should be reciprocated so as not tointerfere with the operation of the presserfoot. In the present case,its reciprocation is synchronous with that of the presserfoot, inconsequence of which the end of the holder may extend down so as to reston the presser-foot as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. As thelubricating or cooling medium, I may employ any suitable liquidaccording to the character of the material being stitched. For example,I can use water, or carbon tetrachlorid, light or heavy oil, or othersubstance which will serve the purpose desired, and consequently I donot limit myself to the use of any particular compound.

It is evident that the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined inthe appended claims, are not limited to the details of constructionwhich have been herein described, except as the same are specificallyrecited in such claims.

The wick or body of absorbent, such as may be employed for the purposesherein mentioned, and the holder, in which it is held in position tomake contact with the needle, constitute what may be considered as amoisture or liquid container or a lubricator, and to this element thecooling or lubricating liquid is supplied from the reservoir, suchsupply being automatically controlled by a valve mechanism whichincludes an automatically operated valve actuator. Such valve actuatorin the present with the plunger valve.

caseincludes the lever and its connections Having thus explained thenature of my said invention and described a way of making and using thesame, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in whichit may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. An attachment for sewing machines, comprising a wick, a holdertherefor adapted to be placed in the path of the needle and having athrough aperture to receive the needle, and a liquid reservoir arrangedto supply liquid to said wick.

2. An attachment for sewing machines, comprising a wick, a holdertherefor adapted to be placed in the path of the needle and having athrough aperture to receive the needle, a liquid reservoir adapted to besecured to-the machine, and a valve for controlling the supply of liquidfrom the reservoir to said wick holder.

3. An attachment for sewing machines, comprising a liquid reservoir, avalve con trolling the delivery of liquid therefrom, a wick and a wickholder adapted to be arranged across the path of the needle so that theneedle will pass therethrough, and

means by which the valve is intermittently opened to permit the passageof liquid from the reservoir to said wick holder.

4. A sewing machine, comprising a needle and a presser-foot, incombination with a wick and a wick holder located in the path of theneedle and having an aperture for the passage of the needletherethrough, and means for supporting said holder above saidp'resser-foot with said aperture in the path of the needle.

A sewing machine, comprising a needle and a presser-foot, in combinationwith a wick and a wick holder having an aperture for the passage of theneedle therethrough, means for supporting said holder above saidpresser-foot with said aperture in the path of the needle, and means forreciprocating said wick holder.

6. A sewing machine, comprising a needle and a presser-foot, incombination with a moisture container having an aperture for the assageof the needle, and adapted to be arranged in the path of the needle,means for supporting said container above the presser-foot, and meansfor supplying moisture thereto.

7. A sewing machine, comprising a needle and a presser-foot, incombination with a moisture container having an aperture for the passageof the needle, and adapted to be arranged in the path of the needle,means for supporting said container in said path of the needle, and areservoir arranged to supply liquid to said container.

8. A sewing machine, comprising aneedle, a movable presser-foot and apresser-bar guide movable therewith, in combination with a memberattached to said presser-bar guide, a moisture container supported bysaid member and arranged in the path of the needle, and a liquidreservoir adapted to deliver liquid to said container.

9. A sewing machine, comprisinga needle,

a movable presser-foot and a presser-bar guide movable therewith, incombination with a member attached to said presser-bar guide, a moisturecontainer supported by said member and arranged in the path of theneedle, a liquid reservoir adapted to deliver liquid to said container,and an automatic valve for intermittently checking the a valvecontrolling the delivery of said liquid, and valve-operating mechanismoperated automatically by the reciprocation of said presser-bar guide.

* 11. A sewing machine, comprising a nee 'liquid and having a casingcommunicating with said reservoir and a plunger valve therein, and meansfor automatically reciprocating said plunger valve.

13. A sewing machine, comprising a me dle and a presser-foot, incombination with a moisture container for supplying moisture to theneedle and having an aperture through which the needle may pass, and

means for movably supporting said container to permit said container tobe moved laterally into and out of the path of the needle to locate theaperture into or out of registration with the needle. 14. A sewingmachine, comprising a needle and a presser-foot, in combination with atubular holder having a flattened and apertured end portion adapted tobe placed in the path of the needle, and an absorbent filling in saidholder for making contact with said needle.

15. A sewing machine, comprising a needle and a presser-foot, incombination with a tubular holder having a flattened and apertured endportion adapted to be placed in the path of the needle, and an absorbentfilling in said holder for making contact with said needle, and meansfor conducting liquid to said holder.

16. An attachment for sewing machines, comprising a reservoir forcontaining li uid, an, apertured holder containing absor ent materialand adapted to be depressed across the path of the needle, a valvecontrolling the passage of liquid-to said holder, a valve actuator, andmeans for attaching said elements to the sewing machine.

17. An attachment for sewing machines, comprising a reservoir forcontaining liquid, a holder containing absorbent material, a valvecontrollin the passage of liquid to said holder, a v ve actuator, and amember for attachin said elements to the presserfoot mechanism of themachine with the holder in the path of the needle.

18. A sewing machine, comprising, in combination with the stitch-formingand resser-foot mechanisms,a member attached to the presser-footmechanism, and the following elements supported thereby, to wit, amoisture container adapted to be arranged in the path of the needle, andmeans for supplying moisture thereto.

19. A sewing machine, comprising, in combination with the.stitch-forming and presser-foot mechanisms, a member attached to thepresser-foot mechanism, and the'fol lowing elements supported thereby,to wit, a moisture container adapted to be arranged in the path of theneedle, a liquid reservoir,

and means for conducting liquid from said reservoir to said container.

20. A sewing machine, comprising, in combination with the stitchformingand presser-foot mechanisms, a member attached to the resser-footmechanism, and the following elements supported thereby, to wit, amoisture container adapted to be arranged in the path of the needle, aliquid reservoir, a valve controlling the delivery of liquid therefrom,and a valve-actuating mechanism includin a member adapted to engage afixed portion of said machine.

21. A sewing machine attachment, comprising a reservoir, a valve casingcommunicating therewith, a valve-therein, a valve actuator, a wickholder arranged to receive liquid from the valve and having an aperturefor the passage of the needle, and a wick in said holder.

22. A sewing machine attachment, comprising a reservoir, a valve casingcommunicating therewith, a valve plunger therein, an actuator forreciprocating the plunger, a wick holder arranged to receive liquid fromthe valve, a wick in said holder, and a member for supporting theattachment on a sewing machine with the wick in the path of the needlethereof.

23. A sewing machine, comprislng a. reciprocatory presser-bar guide anda needle,

in combination with a supporting member attached to said presser-barguide to reciprocate therewith, a liquid reservoir carried by saidmember, a valve controlling the passage of liquid from said reservoir, amoisture container sup orted by said member and adapted to lie in thepath of the needle and to receive liquid from said reservoir,

forming mechanism, a lubricator adapted to lie across the path of theneedle and having an aperture for the passage of the needle, means forpivotally supporting said lubricator to yield in lines approximating thepath of movement of said needle, and a spring yieldingly holding saidlubricator in position.

, 26. An attachment for sewing machines, comprising a wick consisting ofa body of sponge and a textile casing or covering, therefor, and ametallic holder inclosing said wick and having an aperture for thepasiage of the needle into contact with said w1c In testimony whereof'Ihave aflixed my I signature. 5

WILLIAM H. BAYNARD. l

